Picture by Lindsay BernsteinShodoshima was the first place in Japan where olives were successfully cultivated (in 1908) and to this day its manufacture contributes to the economy through the sale of olive oil and related goods. There was a need for high quality olive oil to preserve seafood caught in distant seas. For this reason, the Meiji government decided that olive should be produced in Japan. Olive saplings were planted in Shodoshima, Mie and Kagoshima prefectures, but only on Shodoshima there was success due to the mediterranean climate with sunshine, good air and low rainfall. Shodoshima has also a long tradition of soy sauce and somen noodle production, stretching back more than 400 years, into the Edo Period. The island is a large manufacturer of sesame oil. The fine, vermicelli like somen noodles are made with sesame oil.
Angel Road エンジェルロード: A sandbar that connects three small islands to Shodoshima. During low tide you can walk along the sandbar.
Picture by Christian KadenKankakei Gorge 寒霞渓: A cable car will take you up through the gorge, to a park at the top of the island, from where there are some impressive views. The mountains are covered by Japanese maples. If you are here in the autumn you see a patchwork of red, amber and golden leaves. A bus runs from Kusakabe Bus Station to the station of Kankakei ropeway. See Discover Shodoshima Island by Olive Bus
Picture by marhasView from Kankakei viewpoint towards Uohinomi bay with Kusakabe Harbour.
The colours of Kankakei gorge
Senmaida 千 枚 田 - Ricefields in Nakayama: Terraced rice fields stretch out over the Mount Yubuneyama mountainside in Nakayama. Mineral water of “Yubune no Mizu” (湯船の水) pours forth from the forested area on the side of the mountain. The locals use the spring water for drinking, living, and cultivating their rice fields. "In early autumn just before harvest time, the whole area of rice fields gleams with the golden yellow of the drooping ears of rice", writes Takako Goto. See map of Senmaida area.
Picture by SalOlive Park オリーブ園・オリーブ公園: The site of the first olive cultivation in Japan in 1908. Beneath the olive trees it features a herb and rose garden, a replica of a Greek windmill, a restaurant and a shop selling olive oil and other related goods. There is also the Sun Olive Bath House, which has 8 pools separated by gender (open from noon to 9 pm).
Picture by 663highland
Picture by Sal
Picture by kad2008Noson Kabuki 農村歌舞伎: Noson （rural） Kabuki performances started on Shodoshima about 300 years ago. Today there are just two stages left: Hitoyama Noson Kabuki and Nakayama Noson Kabuki. There is a story about the origin of Noson Kabuki. About 300 years ago a small village was suffering from a lack of water. The chief of the village decided to construct a reservoir. Thanks to his work, people in the village never had to worry about water shortages again. They celebrated, and that is how Noson Kabuki performances started.
Picture by Kentaro OhnoDaikannon 大本山小豆島大観音仏歯寺: The Shodoshima Daikannon) is a large white statue depicting Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Completed in 1993 the 50 meter tall statue houses a temple inside. Visitors may enter and climb (or take an elevator most of the way up) to the top floor built into the Kannon's chest where the temple's holy relic, a tooth of the historical Buddha donated by a temple in Sri Lanka, is enshrined.
Picture by Maarten HeerlienOn Shodoshima there is a pilgrimage route that will take you to 88 temples. Read more: 88 Temples for Pilgrims on Shodoshima - Walk in a Mild Climate
Dream of Olive: A huge dome made of bamboo that i lsarge enough for several dozen people to wander inside. It is the creation of Taiwanese artist Wang Wen Chih, and is made with 4,000 pieces of bamboo. It was among the works exhibited during Setouchi Triennale, an international art festival held every three years.
Picture by Kentaro Ohno
Picture by Carol Lin
Picture by cotaro70sTonosho town: Here you find the “Maze Town”, where the roads were intentionally made to be narrow and winding to prevent pirates and enemies from invading into the port town. in Tonosho town, Dofuchi Strait divides the Main Island and Maejima Island.
Picture by marhas
Picture by marhasNijûshi no hitomi Movie Village - Twenty-Four Eyes Eiga Mura 二十四の瞳映画村: A popular novel by Sakae Tsuboi, set on the island, that has been filmed twice, once in 1954 and again in 1987. Tsuboi herself lived on the island. It was the second version that used this location for filming. The movie follows the lives of a family in the years leading up to World War II. The movie set consists of an entire reconstructed village with a school house. Misaki no Bunkyojyo 岬の分教場 is the elementary school where the movie was set. The school building was built in 1902 and was in use until 1972. There are two classrooms and a small dormitory for teachers. Pictures on the walls of the classroom were drawn by actual students of this elementary school. Read more: Twenty Four Eyes Movie Studio
Picture by Roger WalchHishio-no-Sato Soy Sauce Village 醤の郷: Along the road that connects Yasuda and Sakate Port, soy sauce breweries and tsukudani factories (seaweeds boiled in soy sauce) are concentrated. Some still use soy sauce breweries or warehouses which were built in the Meiji era, during the late 19th century. Roof tiles, burned wooden walls and white plaster walls represent the characteristics of soy sauce factories. You can smell the roasty soy sauce aroma. Shodoshima soy sauce is matured in wooden barrels called “koga”. Of the 3,000 barrels still in use across Japan, over 1,000 are on the island of Shodoshima. You will find here Marukin Soy Sauce Museum マルキン醤油記念館. Read ovierviews of the companies. Read more about soy sauce production.
Picture by 663highland
Picture by 633highlandMarushima Soy Sauce Factory
See Treasures of Shodoshima on Pinterest and pictures by visit shodoshima on Instagram
Picture by marhas
Picture by marhas
